Eight miles of Amazon rainforest cut down to build four-lane highway for COP 30 climate summit
12 March 2025, 10:41 | Updated: 12 March 2025, 11:51
Large swathes of protected Amazon rainforest has been cut down to build a road for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.
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The road, which is aiming to ease traffic ahead of the global climate summit, is set to be completed by November.
Local government has described the project as “sustainable” but climate groups have slammed the decision to cut down more crucial rainforest land.
Images from the site of the project show logs piled high along a dirt road running for more than eight miles.
One local said his entire livelihood has been destroyed by the decision to build the road.
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Claudio Verequete, who used to harvest açaí berries from the felled trees, told the BBC: "Everything was destroyed.
"Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family."
The government failed to provide any compensation, Verguete added, forcing his family to rely on savings.
"Our fear is that one day someone will come here and say: 'Here's some money. We need this area to build a gas station, or to build a warehouse.' And then we'll have to leave.
"We were born and raised here in the community. Where are we going to go?"
The road, which will have high walls on either side, won’t provide any connections to Verequete’s community.
He said: "For us who live on the side of the highway, there will be no benefits. There will be benefits for the trucks that will pass through.
“If someone gets sick, and needs to go to the centre of Belém, we won't be able to use it."
Adler Silveira, the state government's infrastructure secretary, has insisted the road is needed to “modernise” the city ahead of COP30.
They said: "We can have a legacy for the population and, more importantly, serve people for COP30 in the best possible way."
